Leading Other "Untouchables" to Christ

first published: Dec. 20, 2006 – Gospel for Asia

Ganesh is a student at a Gospel for Asia Bible college in Rajasthan. Even though he has not yet finished his ministry training, he has already planted a church where 25 new believers actively meet for worship.

Even more remarkable is that Ganesh is a Dalit: Deemed an “Untouchable” by the caste system, Ganesh has been ingrained from childhood with the belief that he is worthless … even sub-human.

But when he heard about Jesus, that all started to change.

Growing up, Ganesh lived in a thatched-roof hut. Like many Dalit families’ homes, his had no electricity or running water. His mother and father were both illiterate, and Ganesh’s generation was the first in his village to attend school.

One day Ganesh’s mother, Savita, fell seriously ill—and none could figure out what was wrong with her. Savita only grew worse as time passed—and the family lost all hope.

But then a woman told them about a pastor who prays for the sick. At her suggestion, Ganesh’s father took his wife to the next village to visit the GFA missionary, Sukumar. The troubled man asked Sukumar to pray for his wife’s healing. As the pastor prayed, Savita was healed completely!

Seeing this wonderful healing take place, Ganesh’s family received Christ. Ganesh now enjoyed the love of parents who nurtured and encouraged their family, realizing each individual’s worth to a loving God. His parents grew in their faith and desired to see Ganesh one day be a pastor who would reach out to the sick and hurting, pointing the way to the living God. They encouraged him and prayed for him often.

In time, the Lord did call Ganesh into full-time ministry. Backed by Pastor Sukumar’s encouragement and support, Ganesh enrolled in a GFA Bible college. A year into his training, he had to temporarily discontinue his studies and return to his village to help support his family in a time of financial stress. Yet even this did not stop Ganesh from actively pursuing the ministry he knew the Lord had called him to—even as he worked to support his family, he regularly reached out with the Gospel in his village and to surrounding ones.

The Lord blessed Ganesh’s labors with a church that grew to 25 people! As soon as he could, Ganesh entrusted his growing flock to another brother in the Lord and returned to the GFA Bible college so he could complete his studies. Now in his second year of ministry training, Mangal has a heart to return to his home village after graduating so he can continue touching other “Untouchables” with hope and Christ’s love.